With all venues and preparations in place, Shanghai is set to open the 48th WorldSkills Competition on Tuesday evening.
At the Shanghai International Expo Center, more than one million items of infrastructure equipment in over 13,000 categories are now in place. Organizers said everything is ready and the stage is set for the competition to begin.
This year's competition has added seven new skill events, including unmanned aerial systems and intelligent security technology, all closely tied to global industrial progress. Notably, the new Rail Vehicle Technology event will apply Chinese standards throughout, and AI-assisted judgment will be used in several events for the first time.
"This is an intelligent monitoring system. For some of the contestants' operations, we have a set of standard actions prepared in advance. We then match the contestants' actual actions against those standards before scoring and evaluating their performance," said Qi Zhihong, technical observer for the Aircraft Maintenance event at the Competition.
Interactive experience zones have also been set up at each venue, where visitors can book slots to try out simulated versions of various skill events.
"For this competition, we have focused on creating an atmosphere in which everyone can participate and interact. We have set up 64 'try-a-skill' experience stations and 'future craftsmen' workshops, hoping to attract and inspire more young people to build careers through skills and contribute to the country. To make the idea that skills can change the world and light up the future better take root in people's hearts," said Yang Jiaying, executive deputy director of the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 organizing bureau.
A total of 1,385 contestants from 68 countries and regions are taking part in the six-day competition. As the host, the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Executive Bureau has assigned a dedicated liaison officer to each delegation and selected 3,881 volunteers from across the city to serve at venues, transport hubs and other locations.
A dedicated app also provides teams with one-stop services covering transport, accommodation, dining and special events. Traffic authorities have also planned traffic management in advance based on road conditions and visitor flows around the competition venues, to ensure convenient movement for contestants, spectators and nearby residents.
Shanghai finalizes preparations for 48th WorldSkills Competition
China's permanent representative to the United Nations has called for stronger international cooperation to make the world body more effective in tackling global challenges, urging countries, especially the five permanent members of the Security Council, to uphold international law and put the broader interests of the international community first.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), the ambassador said the UN remains an essential platform for countries to discuss and address issues such as climate change and artificial intelligence.
"The UN actually is useful, very useful, I would say. Looking ahead, with all these global challenges, the climate change, the AI and all these things, without the UN, then we don't even have a place to discuss all these issues. So the UN, as a convener, is very important. And of course, people want to see the UN play a bigger role, like in terms of mediating between countries in regional conflicts. And again, the UN can mediate, but it can only get its direction from the Security Council. So how to make the Security Council more effective, that is a big issue, a big question. But I think it is incumbent upon all countries, in particular the P5, to really work together on these conflict issues," he said.
The ambassador also stressed that UN members must balance their own needs with the needs of the international community, while acknowledging the responsibility of diplomats to safeguard their own countries' interests.
"We should not always be putting our national interest above the interests of the entire world. Of course, as diplomats, you have to bear in mind your national interests, and your job is to safeguard your national interests. But actually being a member of the United Nations, people need to realize that sometimes you need to give up some of your interests for the larger good. So you need to realize that dismantling the legal system of the world is not in anybody's interest. It's incumbent upon all countries to really uphold international law," he added.
Fu also commented on China-U.S. bilateral ties ahead of President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States from Sept 23 to 25 at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump. According to the ambassador, the relationship involves both cooperation and competition, and that differences should be managed responsibly.
"I think it's both. As I said, we have a lot to work together on, and naturally we have something that we disagree with each other on. We don't see eye to eye. Indeed, there is competition, like on the issue of AI, but it doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. And when there are differences, I think it is the responsibility and the job of diplomats to contain them and not to exaggerate it out of proportion. When we look at the global issues, it should not always be from the prism of China-U.S. competition. So that is something that is not very good, but it is almost always in the news," he added.
The ambassador said diplomats should maintain a clear-headed view of the relationship and work to promote cooperation for the benefit of both countries and the wider world.
Chinese ambassador calls for stronger UN role, upholding international law
